He’s 20 and already owns six titles

This is essentially Zverev’s second full season on the ATP tour and he already has six titles. To put this in perspective, Zverev has as many titles as the 30-year-old Gael Monfils and the 26-year-old Grigor Dimitrov.

Two of Zverev’s six titles have come at the Masters 1000 level. That’s more Masters titles than Stan Wawrinka has managed to achieve. The following players are ones who have failed to claim trophies at that level: Milos Raonic, Kei Nishikori, Dimitrov, Monfils, Juan Martin del Potro and many more.

The people Zverev has had to take down in the finals to claim those six titles include: Federer (Montreal), Kevin Anderson (Washington), Novak Djokovic (Rome), Guido Pella (Munich), Richard Gasquet (Montpellier), Wawrinka (St. Petersburg). That is one impressive list of scalps.

He brings it against the big guns

Zverev already has 10 wins against top-10 opposition, including two over Federer. He’s posted all those victories within the last 14 months. His 5-1 record in career finals is also an indication that he knows how to step up when it matters the most. It’s why he is now No. 3 in the Race to London.

He can rely on his big serve

In today’s game, serving huge is almost like the only way to thrive and Zverev has been constantly improving in that regard. This season, he has held serve in 86 per cent of his service games. That places him in the top-10 in that category in 2017. He also saved 65 per cent of the break points he faces this season, which places him among the top-20 for the year among all players.

He has the right team behind him

Zverev is coached by his father, Alexander Sr. and former world No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero. The young German described his dad as the best ever coach, considering he has led both his sons (Sascha and Mischa) to the top-30 with each of them sporting opposite styles of play (Mischa is a serve-and-volleyer, Sascha’s a baseliner). The addition of Ferrero earlier this season has paid dividends immediately and it looks like the Spaniard is there to stay on Team Zverev.

He has the confidence and aura of a champion

Zverev grew up around the tennis scene, thanks to his father and older brother, and has been acquainted with the top stars of the game from a very young age. It could be the reason why he is unfazed when facing such stars. He talks with so much confidence and belief in his abilities and has been portraying that perfectly on the court.

His Grand Slam record isn’t as bad as it may seem

Granted Zverev has yet to reach a Slam quarter-final but he hasn’t done so bad at that level either. At 20, he has contested nine main draws at the majors, making the fourth round at Wimbledon last month and reaching three more third rounds. Zverev is the youngest player since Djokovic in 2007 to win a Masters 1000 title, the youngest since Djokovic in 2006 to rank in the top-20, and the youngest since Del Potro in 2008 to break the top-10. Considering the calibre of players he is emulating, it’s only a matter of time before he gets his Grand Slam breakthrough. It could be as soon as this US Open.

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Rafael Nadal will be new world No. 1 as Roger Federer pulls out of Cincinnati

Roger Federer has withdrawn from the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati due to a back problem, which means Rafael Nadal will become the new world No. 1 when the new rankings are released on Monday August 21.

Federer, who lost to Alexander Zverev 6-3, 6-4 in the Montreal final on Sunday, had hinted he was suffering from various aches in his body, as a result of the break he took between Wimbledon and Canada.

“I always enjoy playing here. Cincinnati has some of the best fans in the world and I am sorry I will miss them,” said Federer, a seven-time champion at the event.

As a result of his withdrawal, Nadal will return to the top of the rankings for the first time since July 2014, thanks to a stellar 2017, in which he won a 10th Roland Garros title along with three other trophies.

Federer had a chance to return to No. 1 for the first time since November 2012 had he contested Cincinnati. He can still catch Nadal over the next few months in a bid to end the year at the summit.

The 36-year-old will be bidding for a third Grand Slam title of the season, and 20th overall, at the US Open, which commences August 28.

Federer joins a long list of high-profile absentees from the Cincinnati draw. Others who have pulled out include last year’s finalists Marin Cilic and Andy Murray, along with Novak Djokovic, Stan Wawrinka and Kei Nishikori.

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Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer can get to No. 1 in Cincinnati, here are the possible scenarios

One of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer will replace Andy Murray at the top of the rankings when the new list is release next Monday following the completion of the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati.

If Federer doesn’t pull out of the tournament, he has a chance to return to No. 1 for the first time since November 2012. Nadal, who has a 320-point cushion heading into the action in Cincy, would rise to the top spot for the first time since July 2014.

Federer would need to at least reach the semi-finals to have a chance at taking the No. 1 ranking.

Here are the possible scenarios for the top spot based on Nadal and Federer’s potential finishes in Cincinnati.